Fewer Baby Boomers Choose Urban Lifestyles Than Previous Generations

The narrative about Baby Boomers moving back to the city alongside Millennials is wrong, according to an article by Jed Kolko: "Boomers today are actually less urban than previous generations of older people."

If it seems like more baby Boomers are living in the urban cores of metropolitan areas these days, it has more to do with the size of the generation, not the share of the generation.

"In 2018, 17.8 percent of people aged 54 to 72 lived in urban neighborhoods, defined based on neighborhood density," according to Kolko. "That’s down from 18.2 percent for that age group in 2010, 19.9 percent in 2000, and 21.6 percent in 1990."

Kolko has a few other surprises to share, like the declining share of Generation X (declined by 2 percent compared to the same age group living in 2000) and Millennials (declined by 4 percent).

"Moreover, while there has been a notable increase in urban living among higher-income young adults, rich older people are less likely to live in urban neighborhoods in 2018 than their counterparts in 2000, even with a very slight increase since 2012," according to Kolko.

While Baby Boomers aren't flocking back to cities, they are more likely to rent and more likely to live in multi-family developments—urban lifestyles in suburban settings.